Today brings exciting news for Trek comics fans and fans of the 2009 Star Trek movie. IDW has announced their first ongoing monthly Star Trek series and it will take place in the new movie universe with new twists on stories from the original Star Trek series. Details below.

New Star Trek movie comic series kicks off in September

IDW is once again working with Star Trek co-writer/producer Roberto Orci on Star Trek comics tied to the 2009 Star Trek movie, but this time they will be telling stories set after the movie. According to IDW the new Star Trek comic book series will "explore the vast implications of the alternate timeline created by the film in a new, monthly, ongoing comics series."

In a release Orci said of the series:

Movies cost money. Lots and lots of money. But comics give us unlimited budgets to take the crew of the Enterprise farther than they’ve ever been. Join us!

The new ongoing "Star Trek" comic series promises to continue the adventures of the new USS Enterprise with the new crew as they "embark on missions that re-imagine the stories from the original television series, along with new threats and characters never seen before." Issue #1 due in September will kick things off with a new vision of the original Star Trek series second pilot “Where No Man Has Gone Before.”

The new "Star Trek" series will be written by Mike Johnson (Star Trek: Countdown, Nero) who will be working under the creative direction of Roberto Orci. Artwork will be provided by Stephen Molnar and covers for issue #1 will be provided by Tim Bradstreet and David Messina.

Star Trek #1 cover (click to enlarge)

This new "Star Trek" series will be IDW’s first ongoing series for the license, as to date they have done mini-series, usually around four issues each. This will be the first ongoing Star Trek comic series since one published by Marvel (under the Paramount
Comics) imprint 15 years ago.

And this series will also be the first extended universe stories from in the new movie universe after the events of the Star Trek film. While there have been comic and novel adaptations and a number of comic books and young adult novels tied to the new movie, those were all set during or before the film. As noted by IDW editor Scott Dunbier "Finally, new STAR TREK comics that showcase the new Enterprise crew. The only thing more fun than reading them is editing them!”

The debut issue will also feature a golden ticket promotion, with more details to come shortly from IDW. In addition to the two covers from Tim Bradstreet and David Messina, STAR TREK #1 will feature four rare photo covers and a super rare cover signed by Orci and Johnson. (IDW notes readers should talk to their local retailer about the photo and signed covers).

STAR TREK #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores in September.

POLL: Excited about new comic series?

Is this news enough for you to pick up the new series, or are you waiting to hear more, or have you heard enough. Vote in the new poll, and sound off in the talkback below.

I will definitely be buying this! Wish my town had a comic book store though. I’d rather support them than order online. But I’ve never read a comic book before so I’m pretty excited about these Star Trek ones!

How can they do “Where no man has gone before?” Without Gary Mitchell? It’s a shame that they didn’t introduce him in the first movie. Now, they will have to shoehorn him in? Not saying that I am excited about a new series…just wondering how they will re-image it…

Bob Orci: could you make these canon like JMS canonized (or mostly canonized) the later B5 novels, having first provided outlines for them? Specifically, I mean that you would be bound not to contradict elements established here when scripting later movies, and that such elements can freely appear in those movies. It would be an interesting departure and easier to do, given the low rate of Abramsverse publishing and of course the lack of an ongoing TV show. If this is not possible, what are the main obstacles?

Christ…the word re-imagine just makes me cringe that the canon-istas will just be shreading these things when they hit the street. Just stick with new stories, guys, and you will save yourself a ton of grief….

What a great idea! I remember Orci saying he was rewatching episodes and examining how they would unfold in the alternate reality. I’m glad more stuff is coming after the four novels were cancelled.

And in my view, as the AR is so new, its canon rules are slightly different for now. I mean, didn’t Orci and Kurtzman say they respected the novels so that’s why they used George and Winona as the names of Kirk’s parents? Everything’s canon IMO unless the films/shows contradict it.

I just love the fact that Orci is involved. Like (19 ) above, I think it would reduce the chance of any kind of movie contradictions, and hey, maybe it’ll offer hints for the movies or have a link to the inevitable comic prequel story for the next movie.

Understood, but there’s the allure of the events of the TOS universe — and the things still out there, whether or not the ENTEPRISE encounters them, assuming they’re events that the alti-verse of ST’09 didn’t change.

Just to minorly scratch the surface: The Doomsday Machine is still on course. The Botany Bay is still floating in space — maybe never to be found. To look far ahead, V’Ger is still out there. And there’s that whole Mirror Universe.

I never liked how they pictured the Terran Empire gaining a boost by putting their hands on a ship from the future of a parallel universe and 100 years later are still using the same ship desig and tech (of course, they had to respect TOS canon but still…)… =/

Sweet! I snapped up the Spock Reflections mini-series when it came out, and this sounds awesome. Too bad I don’t have a local comic book store – can’t quite picture shelling out to order comic books online.

This is a really exciting premise. My guess is that Amok Time and anything heavy Vulcan/Romulan will be the first episodes up for grabs by the writers – who could resist the chance to tell their version with Uhura fighting T’pring!

A lot can be done with the Comics. Doomsday machine can be a great read and the Thoilen Web and Who mourns for Adonis. But. Spocks Brain not so much. But. Would love to read. City on the Edge. That would be awesome. Tomorrow is Yesterday would be a riot as well.

i wonder how different the reimagining of the episodes will be? hopefully quite abit otherwise it’ll be just like comic adapations of TOS episodes (except with Pine and Cos likeness) which would be fairly boring

on a similar note itd have been fun if theyd done the comic adapation of ST09 with Shatner an Co’s likeness

And how about this: the next movie is the fourth year of the five year mission; the comics will cover the first three years, which is about the time frame between ST’09 and ST’12 (or ’13). So the movie is the new universe’s “Season 4”.

#45 Why focus on any of those five? It does not mean they can’t be there, but surely a focus on a *strange* new world with a different civilisation and lifeforms would be more truly TOS Trek, albeit in an alt-universe.

I have already given the writers a name and place. No doubt they have their own ideas as well. Fortunately, they are able (or should be) to bring their ideas to life. Honestly, that’s what I want to see.

It’s great that those who came to Star Trek through the film, are getting continuing adventures and the rest of us are obviously curious what’ll happen next. Plus Pine, Quinto, Urban and the rest of the gang are the torch bearers right now – – so great to see their likenesses in comic form. I bet Pegg’s probably chuffed to bits.